Puzzle.



B. L. CURTIS;

PUZZLE.

' APPLICATION man MAR. 4. 191a.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

Z. far/2';

WITNESSES ATTORNEY typifying a vessel rocked pnrrn e BELLE LOUISE CURT1S, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

PUZZLE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Deg, 31, 1918;

Application filed March 4. 1918. Serial No. 220,313.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BELLE L. Gnarls, a citizen of the United States, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Puzzles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to games and toys, and more especially to puzzles; and the objezt of the same is to produce a puzzle illustrative of the naval hazards which are due to submarine warfare.

The invention comprises a game board of specific structure having a channel from start to finish typifying a tortuous sea course beset with dangers, and a game piece to and fro by the wind and waves as she proceeds along said course, seeking to avoid the hazards which of course typify mines and submarines.

Details are brought out in the following specification, reference being made to the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of this game ready to be played, and

Fig. 2 is a transverse section of Fig. 1 on the line 22 thereof with the cover applied and the game pieces removed.

The game board forming part of this complete puzzle may well be a paste-board box about a foot in diameter and an inch deep, externally and internally painted or printed withappropr'iate colors and perhaps at proper polnts with flags or coats of arms typifying the Allies which are supposed to be at war with that nation conducting a ruthless submarine warfare. The base or bottom of the box is numbered 1 in Fig. 2 and its rim is numbered 2, while the cover numbered 3 in that view is shown as removed in Fig. 1. About half way of the depth of the box the same is provided with a horizontal partition 4 which is practically coincident with the area of the box excepting as hereinafter speified. Earalleling the rim or outer wall 2 is an inner wall 5, and if both walls are circular this inner wall will define a retiring pocket 6 in whi h the game pieces are kept when not actually in play. The two walls constitute the sides, and the partition 4 between said walls constitutes the bottom, of an annular course 7 which surrounds the pocket 6, and at one point this course is interrupted by a radial partition 8 which rises the full height of the outer wall or rim 2 of the box body. The bottom of the course is inclined downward from both sides to the base of this partition 8, thereby producing on one side of said partition a starting pocket 9 and on the other side of the partition a finishing pocket 10 which might becalled the goal. Thereby is produced a course from start to finish, which course is lrregular in that it is not straight, and this course is beset with hazards in the shape of holes 11 and 12 through the bottom of the course into the chamber 13 below. Said holes may be of various shapes and disposit1on, and inFig. 1 I have shown those' numbered 11 as practically at the transverse center of the course 7, whereas those numbered 12 are alongside one wall or the other thereof. The result is that a path along the course is extremely tortuous, because any game piece which is moved along said path is likely to fall through one of the hazards.

In the chamber beneath the partition 4: is a corral composed of two walls 15 and 16 which converge toward an opening 19 .into the starting pocket 9, the corral thus underlying the retiring pocket 6 as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Other portions of the chamber 13 receive all game pieces dropping through the hazard-holes, and therefore the course 7 may be said totypify the surface of the ocean along which sail the ships (game pieces) while the chamber typifies all that portion of the ocean beneath the surface and into which the ships sink when they strike a mine or are successfully attacked by a submarine. Thus my improved g ame is illustrative of ruthless warfare, without the necessity of providing any element which typifies the submarine or mine itself. The game or puzzle may be played in a number of ways. Let us assume that some of the game pieces or pieces as we will call them are dropped through any of the holes into the chamber 13 at starting. The player takes the device in hand and tilts it in such manner that the pieces collect within the corral, and one by one they pass through the hole 19 into the starting pocket 9. The puzzle now is to so tilt the device that this piece shall pass along the course 7 and avoid all hazards 11 and 12, finally reaching the finishing pocket or goal 10. This piece is now picked out and put into the retiring pocket 6 and the next piece is caused to move through the same irregular course, and with the same end in View.

Another feature of my nnproved puzzle is the provision of peculiar pieces ton play.- ing it. Three of such pleces are shown in Fig. 1, and one ofthem is broken away. I

can best describe each by saying that body is in the shape of a capsule 20, cyl ndrical for most of its length andhaving rounded extremities. "In fact I have suc- ,cessfully used gelatin'ca'psules for this pur' pose and in any eventit may be advisable to have thebody'transparen't. Around the center ofthebody I-sec'ure a, band 21 which makes the circumference of'the body at this or on the b ndage the othe'r end and whichever way it'rests it will "roll in '1, an irregular manner when its support is'tl'lt'ed as" described above;' Saidweight a wellbe a little "shot or steel'- ball, sufiicientlysmaller that 'theinsi'de of the body to permit it to roll ,rree1yrrom one end 'to the other; and theade dition oit'this Weight complicates the results which take place when the supportis tilted,

and renders theactio'n' of the game piece extremelye'rr' at 'c. I have shown threeof these pieces "and it may be well to color one wh te,

a other-red, and another blue, or perhaps 7 to inscribefon theni the fia'gsofthe allied nations. "When played as abroi' esugg este'd they will of course-typify vessel'swhich arev to move over the coursefandav'oid the hazardsfand the 'Winner of thejga-Ine or the 'person'to' solve thepuzjzleis the "onewho successfull moves all three ieces along the course? However; in this'andether respects 'I reserve the widest latitude, and details'ef structure and of 'play'slho'uld beleft tojth'e manufacturer. It is'euite possible'to use pieceswhichare much simpler in constructiojn'such as buttons or checkers or perhaps" 'merely'balls or marbles; but I preferj'p-ieces whose movements will be" irregular and erratic so as to render it; extremely difiicult to move such pieces along anirr'eg'ula'r' course and avoidthe'haz'ard's with which it is beset, "Thematerials and-proportions of all parts are not; essential, and rhave suggested that the'capsule -body 20- of the piece be made transparent; merely so that the rolling weight 2 2therein can be observed, although this of courseishot necessaryi Copies of, this patent may be obtained torfiyc cents each. lay-addressing .comlnissicnenot Patgggtjg, i

the plied to keep the'parts. in place,

invention.

That is to say, the body-"'may' 'restgame is played the cover 3 is apsubsequent use, and this cover may also be useful in shipping the game. I have stated that I prefer the box shall be circular, but

of course it could have other configuration withoutdeparting from the principle of the What is claimed as new is L' '1. In a puzzle, the! combination with a game board cOmpIiSlng "a fiat bottom and an upstanding rim, an inner wall paralleling said rim, a horizontal partition; underlylng said Wall and with it defining a re tiring pocket and continued beyond this Wall t the rim and v between these elements defining a game course provided with hazard openings, and a radial wall connecting the inner Wall with the rim at one'point, the partitionwithin said course being, in-

'clined downward in both directions to said radial wall to define a starting. pocket on one" side and a finishing pocket on'the'other ready for side f said radial pa'rtitioniof a movable tially as described. 7 a

2. In a puzzle the combination With a circular -ganie board comprising a flat bottom and an "annular upstanding'rim, an annular Wall paralleling said rim, a horizontal partition underlying said wall and ganie pi ce for use on said; -board,"-substan with it defining a retiring pocket and c'on-- tinued beyondthis wan t6 the i-iin and between these elements defining anjannular course, the partition throughout the length of said course being provided-with hazard openings; a radial wall connecting the inner Wall withthe rim 'at onepoint,.thepartition within said course being inclined downward in both directionsto said radial wall to define 'a"'st arti'ng pocket on one side'anda. finishing-pocket on'the otherside of; said radial partition-,and converging Walls be neath the partition defining acorral'and leading to said starting-pocket; of a movablegame piece for use on said board, substantially as described. I

111 testimony whereof I aflixmy signature in presence, of two witnesses.

'BELLE LOUISE CURTIS. Witnesses: i

EvAfO; ,OLN-EY, 

